If you need to contact customer support during this maintenance period please do so via email - http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/contact_us/_base/index.html. Alternatively, you will be able to use Live Help once the scheduled maintenance is completed after 15:00 AEST.

Regards,
The eBay team

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Today, we’re introducing Emma to a different group of members. She looks the same as the original but there are a few “behind the scenes” differences in how she operates. We want to test both versions to make sure we provide you with the best possible experience.

We’ll be piloting our new version to approximately 30% of our members and if you met the original Emma you probably won’t come across the new one just yet.

If you are randomly selected to be part of this pilot, when you click on Live Help, you will be prompted to choose between a live agent and a virtual agent. Emma should be able to answer the most frequently asked questions, and when she can't she will transfer you to a live agent.

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	***Original: Introducing Emma - the Virtual Agent***
	04 April 2008 | 04:16PM EST We are pleased today to introduce Emma! Emma is a virtual customer support agent we are piloting starting today. While Emma is in her pilot phase she’ll only be available to approximately 30% of eBay.com.au members. The introduction of Emma is aimed to help you get your answers quickly - without having to navigate through the help pages or wait to chat with a customer service agent. How does Emma work? Emma provides an experience similar to live chat where you ask questions and she responds. When you click on Live Help, a screen will appear asking you to choose to chat with a live agent or Emma. She’s been trained on many of the most frequently asked questions and we’ll continue to train her on more and more topics. At the beginning of the pilot, Emma’s going to be learning the words and phrases that members use in asking questions - so if she can’t answer your question initially, don’t give up on her, she’ll continue to learn and know more the next time you use her. Regards The eBay team
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These changes make uploading pictures easier and more reliable, while improving the quality of your listing images.

Some of the changes you’ll see include:

• Improved resizing and compression for uploaded pictures
• Less interference from security filters, such as pop-up blockers
• The ability to upload pictures from external applications, such as camera phones.

Basic uploader: If you currently use the default Basic uploader, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the Standard uploader. Along with other features, the Standard uploader allows you to easily upload multiple pictures at the same time.

Enhanced uploader: If you currently use the Enhanced uploader (for Internet Explorer only), you’ll soon be prompted to install an updated version from eBay. If your settings within Internet Explorer allow automatic updates of ActiveX controls the updates should occur automatically.

Creating the perfect listing just got a little easier!

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The dashboard, which can be linked to from the left-hand side of My eBay, gives sellers an at-a-glance overview of your selling account’s performance. The dashboard makes it easier to track what’s going well in your eBay business, and see what areas offer opportunities for improvement.

The Seller Dashboard consists of the following modules:

Detailed Seller Ratings – The dashboard gives more visibility on your Ratings. In the next few weeks, your DSR scores will be displayed to the hundredth of a point. (For example, on your Member Profile you may see 4.83 instead of 4.8.) This extra detail helps you see how effective any changes you’ve made in your selling strategy have been in improving your DSR.

You can also get a better idea of your recent performance. If you have at least 10 sales in a rolling 30-day period you’ll see your rolling 30-day DSR average. If not, you’ll see your 12-month DSR scores. You can compare your ratings with the average eBay seller as well.

PowerSeller Status – View a summary of your PowerSeller status, and see how close you are to reaching the next level. If you're not yet a PowerSeller, you can see how close you are to qualifying.

Account billing status – Check your account balance, payment status, and other billing-related information.

Buyer satisfaction rating – Your buyer satisfaction rating has four levels and indicates the experience your buyers receive. It’s based on your DSR scores, negative and neutral feedback received, and Buyer Protection claims filed by your buyers. Don't worry, the vast majority of sellers will be at the “Good” level. However, if you have a low buyer satisfaction rating, you’ll see alerts as well as suggestions on how to remedy the situation.

Policy compliance – Displays warnings to alert you to any policy violations, as well as existing, pending or potential eBay sanctions and remedies.

So jump into My eBay, take a tour of the dashboard and see how well you're tracking.

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For 10 whole days from 25 May - 3 June we're giving you 50% off insertion fees on all auction and fixed price listings.

Not sure what to sell? Get some personalised ideas with our Seller Profile Quiz and discover how much you could make!

All other eBay fees including listing upgrades, final value fees, format fees, subscription fees, as well as all PayPal fees apply as normal and terms and conditions do apply.

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If you need to contact customer support during this maintenance period please do so via email - http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/contact_us/_base/index.html. Alternatively, you will be able to use Live Help once the scheduled maintenance is completed after 15:00 AEST.

Regards,
The eBay team

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So if you have any questions about how these changes may impact you or why these changes have been introduced, come along and speak with us.

Title: Changes to the Feedback System
Date: Wednesday 28 May 2008
Workshop: 6.30pm to 8.00pm
Where: Workshops Board

*Please note no personal account queries will be addressed during these workshops.

What is an online workshop?
Workshops are online discussions presented by staff, special guests and expert eBay members on a range of eBay related subjects. They combine informative material with interactive discussion and are a great way to learn, interact with eBay staff, and chat with the experts on a wide variety of topics.

See you there!
The eBay team

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Learn more about what's changing on eBay.com.au.

Regards,
The eBay team

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	***Original: eBay.com.au boosts safety – PayPal will be required on all listings***
	10 April 2008 | 11:05AM EST We're making it safer for all our members to trade on eBay.com.au. To ensure members use only the most secure payment methods, it will soon be required to offer PayPal on all listings on eBay.com.au. When will this occur? Changes will be introduced in two stages: All items listed for sale on eBay.com.au on or after 21 May 2008 must offer PayPal as one of the payment methods. All items appearing on eBay.com.au as of 17 June 2008 must be paid for using one of the following: PayPal Pay on pick up (i.e. paid for when picking up the item) Visa/MasterCard (with transactions processed by PayPal). No other payment methods will be permitted. Please note a small number of categories are excluded from these changes. Find out about these exclusions. In line with these enhancements to safety we are introducing unprecedented levels of protection for buyers and sellers: Increased PayPal Buyer Protection – up to AU$20,000 For eligible items purchased on or after 17 June 2008, PayPal Buyer Protection will increase to a maximum of $20,000 (based on the full value of your purchase, including postage). New PayPal Seller Protection PayPal Seller Protection has also recently been introduced to provide sellers with an unprecedented level of protection in the unlikely event of a claim or chargeback arising from an item not received buyer dispute or an unauthorised payment (eg from a stolen credit card). Why is eBay making changes? These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to protect our members. We believe buyers will be more confident shopping on eBay if only the safest payment methods are permitted. In 2007 on eBay.com.au those who paid with PayPal were much less likely to enter a dispute. In fact those using PayPal were almost four times less likely to have a dispute over their purchase than people who paid with bank deposit. Plus, PayPal sellers were almost half as likely to experience an unpaid item as sellers who did not accept PayPal. The data clearly shows that PayPal is a safer way to buy and a more reliable way to sell on eBay.com.au. Buyers and sellers don’t have to share their financial details when using PayPal, which is one of the biggest fears consumers have when transacting online. PayPal eliminates this concern, making it one of the most secure ways to transact online. In fact PayPal topped the list of preferred online payment methods according to the Nielsen Consumer Report 2H 2007. By addressing the main causes of disputes on eBay.com.au we will see a lift in consumer confidence. This will help strengthen the eBay community ultimately benefiting buyers and sellers, as well as eBay. We realise that these changes are going to impact how you transact on eBay.com.au and we trust they will achieve the desired result of protecting our members and providing an even safer place to buy and sell online. We will be hosting a number of online workshops during April and May plus you’ll have the opportunity to meet with us face to face in a series of Q&A events being held in May. Register your interest in attending an event. For more details, read the nitty gritty on what's changing on eBay.com.au. Regards The eBay team A message from our lawyers: The PayPal service is provided by PayPal Australia Pty Limited (ABN 93 111 195 389) which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence, number 304962. eBay is an authorised representative of PayPal for the purpose of providing information about PayPal and is not acting as your agent. eBay is not providing personal financial advice to you and does not take your individual circumstances into account in providing information about PayPal. You should consider the Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Services Guide before deciding to sign-up for or use the PayPal online payment service at https://www.paypal.com.au PayPal Buyer Protection and PayPal Seller Protection are also subject to the terms and conditions in PayPal's User Agreement, incorporating the Buyer Protection policy and Seller Protection policy which include details on eligibility criteria and the discretionary nature of the Policies.
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This clarification relates to clause 4.2.4 of PayPal's User Agreement. The revised wording is as follows: "The Seller Protection Policy will not apply to a transaction if you combine eBay items purchased through separate PayPal payments into a single shipment".

This clarification is consistent with PayPal’s processes and policies when dealing with a disputed PayPal transaction and means that PayPal requires the seller to provide PayPal with "proof of shipment" for each PayPal transaction in order to be eligible for Seller Protection. Please refer to the Seller Protection Policy for further details about seller requirements and eligibility criteria for PayPal Seller Protection.

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Regards,

The eBay Team

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	***Original: Upcoming Feedback Changes – Scheduled for 12 May***
	08 May 2008 | 10:15AM EST Back in January eBay announced some bold changes to the way Feedback will work. The changes will take effect the week of 12 May on eBay.com.au. They include: Sellers may only leave positive feedback for buyers. Negative and neutral Feedback left by a member will be removed if that member is suspended. Feedback can be given for up to 60 days after a transaction (down from 90) Feedback will be removed when a buyer fails to respond to the unpaid item process. Members have been able to receive credit for weekly repeat Feedback (going back to 1996) since March. The Positive Feedback Percentage will be based on the past 12 months of activity (and include neutral Feedback in the calculation). The PowerSeller Program will use the same calculation method described above to determine eligibility for the PowerSeller Program for the Positive Feedback percentage requirement of 98% positive. Since January, a few refinements to these changes have been developed to further enhance the Feedback system: In January we mentioned that we’d block buyers from leaving negative or neutral Feedback for 3 days for sellers “with a track record”. Since January, we’ve made the decision to increase the wait period to 7 days and define “track record” as active PowerSellers who have been on eBay for at least 12 months. The Mutual Feedback Withdrawal process will be removed to avoid any prospect of its use to manipulate or extort sellers. As part of this change, Mutual Agreement from third-party Feedback mediation services, such as SquareTrade, will also no longer be accepted. Messaging to buyers in the leave Feedback flow will be increased when they are in a cross-border transaction that reminds them that international transactions usually take longer to complete. A checklist that all buyers must complete before leaving negative or neutral Feedback will be added. This checklist informs buyers of the need to communicate with the seller, to allow enough time for the transaction to complete, and to keep Feedback factual. We will watch all aspects of the new Feedback system very carefully, monitoring the marketplace’s response and make any adjustments if necessary. eBay also plans further modifications to Feedback that will come later this month: In addition to expanding the 3-day block to 7 days, we are introducing a new Buyer Requirements option to protect sellers against buyers who have been reported by other sellers for eBay buying policy violations (such as Feedback abuse or email threats). We’re expanding the scope of the existing Buyer Requirements for unpaid items so that it supports more comprehensive blocking of buyers who have a history of non-payment. We’re reviewing the process that sellers use to report buyers for policy violations. As you can see, these changes represent a huge investment in transforming the way Feedback works so that it better serves today’s marketplace. Ultimately, the goal is to: increase trust and transparency and improve the buying experience; and at the same time offer checks and balances that ensure our great sellers benefit. Further information will be available Monday 12 May. Regards, The eBay Team
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